In recent times, when our province was renamed Ontario in 1867, municipal government was already well established under the Baldwin Act that empowered councils and enshrined community democracy – from annual elections to local referendums on major projects – which built Ontario’s far-flung communities.
Then our newly surveyed district was named “Muskoka” to honour Chief Musquakie for leading Ojibwe warriors south to save this British crown colony against an American 1812 armed invasion. But “free standing” we seldom were.
For local government, Muskoka was at first attached to Victoria County to the east. By 1868, for Ontario’s free land colonization program, Muskoka was linked with Parry Sound and Nippissing districts to the north. When electing representatives to Queen’s Park or the Commons, Muskokans have variously been joined with Ontario County to the south, Parry Sound District to the north, or on our own. For juridical administration, Muskoka has been tied with Parry Sound and, at times, Simcoe. For education, Muskoka is currently amalgamated with Haliburton to the east as “Trillium District.” Ontario health services now link Muskoka with Simcoe, as do community and social services programs. Neighbourhood watch crime busters link “Muskoka-Simcoe-Durham.”
If past behaviour is a predictor of future performance, we can expect Muskoka’s new municipal structure to resemble a jigsaw puzzle assembled at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
But that’s only the surface problem. On a political level, those we elect municipally must interact with too many different players, thanks to the aforementioned mishmash of overlapping jurisdictions and alternate structures for political representation, administration of justice, education, health care, and social services, which are in addition to interactions required between Muskoka’s 50-plus municipal councillors at two levels in seven jurisdictions to govern a mere 60,000 people. It’s not humanly possible to be effective in this governance maze.
Muskoka’s economic focus has become as fragmented as our governmental alignments. This is due to successive provincial governments playing chess with the municipal pieces on the provincial board, without considering regional integrity and local government accountability. There are simply too many “interfaces” for anybody to have a cohesive view and a comprehensive plan. Failure even to defend Muskoka’s status as a northern district meant forfeiting economic benefits vital to Muskokans, one example among many of our strength being drawn off as our identity gets bled away.
The premier’s “help is on the way” review needs to go beyond “too many politicians” and grapple with deeper causes of local governance in Muskoka being awkward to dysfunctional. Buck-passing, deference to self-serving staff and consultants, reversing adopted policies, departures from Official Plans, and administrative overload all choke local government, cripple performance, and make impossible real accountability.
Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling, leading the Government’s effort to restore accountability and fiscal integrity in Muskoka, are meeting with the District Council’s chair, and then separately with each of Muskoka’s six mayors. The pooled intelligence Messrs Fenn and Seiling can glean from these meetings will help shape the structure they’ll propose to Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark and Premier Ford. Reinvigorating Muskoka’s identity and focus is what’s needed.
